Page 8 of Secrets Within Us
I took the water, but eyed the pill suspiciously. “What is it?”
He chuckled slightly, showing laugh lines around his eyes quickly before his face settled back into the somber gaze he was so frequently sporting. “Do you think I’d drug you? I already had you unconscious in my bed, had I wanted to do anything to you, I could have done it then.” He paused like he was waiting for me to tell him I didn’t think he would do that, but I couldn’t give him that. “It’s Vicodin, probably going to make you groggy, but it will help with the pain.”
I had to trust the man because he was my only lifeline. I had no alternative but to trust the man, and I was ready to do almost anything for relief from the suffering. Swallowing the pill with a gulp of water, I sank back into the chair, wrapped in the cozy blanket and basking in the warmth emanating from the crackling fire. However, I remained vigilant, observing his every move as he busied himself around the house, signaling the end of our Q&A session.
My tired voice cut through the silence of the house, startling him slightly as he was preparing food for dinner. “How do I get home from here? I don’t have any money or my phone or anything. I had a bag of clothes with me when I was walking, I think. But that’s it.” My stomach had been growling non-stop since he started grilling meat on the stovetop twenty minutes ago, but I didn’t know if he intended to feed me or not. It wasn’t like he had to.
He kept working as he answered. “The storm that’s been pounding down on us for two days currently blocks the only way into town. It will take a couple of days for the plows to get up here after the snow stops. You’re too weak to make the trip by snowmobile and I doubt your ribs would let you ride at all, anyway. So we wait for the snow to stop and the plows to clear the road and then we’ll head into town in my truck. There’s a landline here, but it’s hit or miss in a storm like this. You’re more than welcome to use it to check in with your family or friends when it works, let them know you’re okay.”
I nodded my head like I agreed. But the truth was, I had no one to call. No family. Not a single friend. Not even a boss or coworker to call to say I wouldn’t be at work today or tomorrow.
I had no one anymore. The man here, the lumberjack named Kip, was the only human being to know I was alive right now. And he had no idea what power he held over me because of it, either.
I didn’t have long to ponder it though, because he brought me a plate of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits where I sat in the chair. He set a tray up on my lap, asking if it hurt anything being there, before putting my plate on it and adding a napkin and a glass of milk. I couldn’t remember the last time someone served me a meal.
Maybe never. Emotions burned in my chest as his hospitality warmed a small part of my frigid heart.
I waited until he settled himself across from me in his recliner with a similar tray and meal before I thanked him.
“Thank you.” I sounded weak and tired, but I didn’t have the energy to get mad at that right now. The pain medication had been effective, but it left me feeling even more drained as if my body had become an anchor.
Kip looked up at me from under his lashes as he cut into his chicken as if he were contemplating what to reply with. Like someone hadn’t thanked him for anything in a long time. And perhaps nobody had, there was no one around but me and his dog.
He curtly nodded his head at me as he took a large bite of his food. I neatly cut into my meal, getting only a few bites down before it felt like I was too tired to even lift my arms to feed myself. I ate much slower than Kip, and he quickly cleared his plate and got up, reaching for mine understandingly.
“You’ll have more energy and be capable of doing more tomorrow.” I just nodded as he put the food away before feeding his monster, Endeavor, or Dev, as he called him.
“Where can I sleep?”
He didn’t stop moving around the room as he answered, turning off lights as he got closer to me. “In my bed. You need the best sleep you can get to heal quickly, and that’s the comfiest spot in the house.” He handed me another pill and opened the bottle of water for me from the stand next to the chair. “Take this, it will help you sleep.”
I wasn’t sure why I was just doing what he told me to do, but I quickly took the pill, feeling the stab of pain slowly creeping back into my body. I picked up the blanket and went to stand, but Kip was faster than me. “Let me.” He gently slid his hands under my knees and around my back, effortlessly and gently lifting me into his arms against his chest as he walked towards the stairs. His bare arms were warm against the skin of my legs where he held me.
What caught me off guard was that his touch didn’t incinerate fear into my soul, in stark contrast to the terror I felt with the monster before him. Instead, something else burned low in my belly, something that resembled arousal.
But that was crazy.
“I, uh, I need the restroom… please.” I stammered, desperate to get out of his arms and onto my own feet again.
How freaking embarrassing.
Kip turned directions, saying nothing, and went to the back of the cabin into a spacious updated bathroom. He gently set me on my feet on the cold tile, but when he let go, my legs were shaky, and I had trouble stabilizing myself. I couldn’t tell if it was from my injuries or from the effect he had on me.
With a rapid motion, he clutched my hips, being mindful not to cause any discomfort to my ribs, and deftly spun me around, effectively pinning me against the counter. I rested my hands on his stomach as I fought to keep my head upright and from falling into his broad chest like I so badly wanted to.
He was just so strong and steady. So opposite of me.
“I’m sorry. I’ve got it now.” With embarrassment, I struggled to untangle my hands from his shirt, which was tightly clinging to his rock-hard abdomen.
“Just take it easy. Go slow. I’ll leave the door open, and I’ll be right down the hall, just holler if you need anything.” I shook my head, letting him know I was capable, but he did as he said, anyway. Leaving the door open and going back out to the kitchen.
When he left, I quickly hobbled to the toilet, relieving myself, and then returned to the counter before he walked back in. However, when I reached the vanity, I suddenly lost all focus and didn’t mind the lack of privacy he had left me. I looked up and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror above the sink.
My hair was a rat’s nest, hanging off my head at awkward angles. Both eyes were black and blue, and multiple cuts and bruises covered my cheeks and lips. Bruises encircled my neck, stretching all the way to my collarbones, hidden from sight by my shirt. I was almost glad I couldn’t see them.
Pushing my hair off my shoulder, I turned my head slightly, noting how the bruises around my neck were in the shape of a hand.
His hand.